‘Try and Lose’: Sinner’s Striking Plan to Win the Alcaraz War

“I was very predictable on the court today, [whereas] he changed the game,” Sinner said.

“That’s his style of play as well. Now it’s up to me if I want to make changes or not. We’ll work on it… I’ll try to maybe lose some games from now on, but I’ll try to make some changes to be a little bit more unpredictable.”

Sinner has won 131 matches over the past two years and lost just 12. Seven of those losses were to Alcaraz, who lost just twice to his four-time Grand Slam rival. Alcaraz is 10-6 overall.

Sinner defeated Alcaraz in straight sets at November’s ATP Finals in Turin after the US Open, but the real test will be when they next meet at a Grand Slam.

The tennis titans each have more than double the ranking points of world number three Alexander Zverev, have shared the last eight major titles and battled the last three Slam winners.

The “Sincaraz” rivalry overshadows the sport. Thanasi Kokkinakis said the pair were “head and shoulders” above the rest.

The only major final they haven’t contested is the Australian Open, where Alcaraz never made it past the quarterfinals. He can complete the career Grand Slam if he triumphs at Melbourne Park, while Sinner needs the crown at Roland-Garros to do so.

At 22, Alcaraz would become the youngest man in the open era to do so, trumping compatriot Nadal, who was 24 when he won the US Open title in 2010 to complete his Grand Slam set.

Alcaraz joked Saturday that they could trade Sinner to help each other achieve tennis immortality.

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“Obviously, to complete a career grand slam is something amazing,” Alcaraz said. “So I could be the youngest to do it [would] to be even better.”

But to do that, Alcaraz will almost certainly need to dethrone Sinner, who has won the last two Australian Open championships.

The differences may be subtle, but Sinner plans to unveil a modified version of himself — mostly with Alcaraz in mind — as he hinted after his reality check at the US Open.

“We worked a lot [in the off-season] trying to go to the net,” Sinner said. “We changed a few things on the serve. But [they’re] all the little details. When you’re at the top level, it’s the little details that make the difference.”

Alcaraz also continues to improve. His revamped serve is already drawing comparisons to Djokovic’s, although he laughed off the suggestion that it was on purpose.

The most significant change for the world number one is not technical, but rather in his team.

Alcaraz announced in December that he was parting ways with 2003 Roland-Garros champion Juan Carlos Ferrer, who coached the superstar Spaniard for seven years from the time he was 15.

Whatever detrimental effect it has on Alcaraz, he is among the top stories at this year’s Australian Open and beyond.

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There has been speculation about the reasons, from financial conditions to where Alcaraz wanted to train, but he fielded questions for the first time in Melbourne on Saturday. His dark tone and body language contrasted with his usual bubbly nature.

“It’s something we just decide,” Alcaraz said.

“I mean [this was a] a chapter of life that must end. I am truly grateful for the seven years I was with Juan Carlos. I learned a lot. He probably made me the player I am now.”

The Alcaraz-Sinner era began so quickly that it overlapped with the end of Djokovic’s prime. Djokovic’s last four Grand Slam titles in 2022-23 edged Alcaraz’s first two.

Djokovic also beat Alcaraz to win Olympic gold in Tokyo two years ago and repeated the feat at last year’s Australian Open, but the younger star claimed revenge in the US Open semi-finals.

Sinner and Alcaraz are so far above most of their opponents that they go their own way and seem to adapt their approach to the other.

Neither played the opening event at the Australian Open, but both pocketed nearly $3.5 million to compete in an exhibition match in South Korea on Jan. 11.

Their bromance is endlessly curious considering their captivating on-court rivalry, and another matchup awaits at Rod Laver Arena. It’s one place where Sinner can have more success than Alcaraz, but he’s making no secret of his motivation this time around.

“This is my main goal this year,” Alcaraz said. “I’m hungry for the title. I’m excited for the tournament to start.”

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